1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for maintaining a large number of Handheld Electronic Devices (HEDs).
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable handheld devices that are capable of storing content such as music and video have recently become popular. For example, devices such as the iPOD™ from Apple are popular devices that are commonly used to store music and/or video files. The music may then be played on demand either through earphones, or through another stereo device via a docking station. As used herein, the term “Handheld Electronic Device or (HED)” will be used to refer to a portable and handheld digital electronic device for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating and reviewing text, data, audio, image, and video files.
Although iPODs and other HEDs were initially made popular in connection with users that wanted to be able to have a portable music library, such HEDs are now being used for other purposes. For example, museums are starting to load audio and/or audio/video museum tours on HEDs such as iPODs so that users can listen to and/or watch a guided program as they proceed through the museum. Such guided programs are commonly used to enable a person knowledgeable about art to narrate a guided tour one time, and then enable museum patrons to obtain the benefit of the guided tour at a later time by listening to the pre-recorded guided tour.
In addition to museums, other forums are also beginning to use HEDs such as iPODs to provide users with content. For example, a conference may provide a conference attendee with a HED to provide the conference attendees with information about the conference. Similarly, a resort may provide a person with a HED when the person arrives at the resort to enable the person to listen to a program about the resort.
As companies, museums, individuals, and other institutions start to collect large numbers of HEDs, the manner in which the HEDs are maintained becomes important. For example, if a museum would like to open a new exhibit and provide a new guided program for the new exhibit, the museum will need to load new content onto their HEDs. Similarly, the museum will need to recharge the HED batteries periodically to enable the HEDs to be capable of functioning as the users roam throughout the museum. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system that would enable users to maintain a large number of Handheld Electronic Devices.